This invention relates to tanning apparatuses and, more particularly, to a home tanning apparatus which is adaptable to tan a person standing up or lying down and which is collapsible into a compact bundle for transport or storage.
The desire to maintain a healthy looking physique is evidenced by the continued vitality of health and fitness facilities. Further, maintenance of evenly tanned skin is viewed as an important aspect of physical fitness and beauty by many people. Tanning beds and booths have therefore become a standard fixture in fitness facilities, beauty salons, etc. Commercial tanning devices, however, are extremely expensive - a cost that is passed on to consumers of tanning services. Commercial tanning beds and booths such as those disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,683,886 and 4,469,102 to Kramer and Fish, respectively, may range from $3,000 to $7,000 per unit.
The expense of commercial tanning services combined with the inconvenience of travelling to and from a tanning facility on a regular basis has fostered a desire to tan at home. Accordingly, several tanning devices for home use have been proposed in the prior art. In U.S. Pat. No. 4,582,062 to Albini, a tent structure having reflective interior surfaces and a single sunlamp is proposed for tanning a portion of a person lying within the tent. A booth-type tanning device is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,984,571 which is collapsible for storage against a wall.
Although assumably effective in operation, such devices are still disadvantageous for home use. Although the tent structure of '062 is collapsible for out-of-the-way storage, it includes numerous components that must be assembled together for use and then separated for storage. The device is therefore inefficient, inconvenient, and susceptible to lost or damaged parts. The collapsible tanning booth of '571 is also disadvantageous for home use in that it occupies a prominent upright position within a room even when collapsed for storage.
Thus, it is desirable to have an apparatus which is adaptable to provide efficient tanning to an individual in either a standing or lying position within a residential environment. It is also desirable to have a tanning apparatus which is lightweight and flexible for collapsing into a compact bundle for transport or storage.